Club members visited one of the gardens on the May 20th English Tea and Garden Walks being hosted by the club May 20th.

by Kathy Foster

Chipley Garden Club member Linda MacLellan hosted the May 3rd meeting of the Chipley Garden Club at her home in the Sunny Hills area and let her guests “sneak peek” walk through her garden which will be featured on the upcoming annual English Tea and Garden Walks being hosted by the club later this month.

One of the highlights of the meeting was presentation of a Life Membership in the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs to Mary Nell Rustin by club President Debbie Mitchell.

Relating news items to club members, Mitchell reported on the following:

Fussell Daylily Farms Open House scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 13th.

‘Squirrels, Girls & Pearls’ event being hosted at Falling Waters State Park from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on June 3rd.

The Wildflower Education portion of the May meeting was given by Edwina Showers and she featured the Mountain Laurel.

While Mountain Laurel can be found in Northwest Florida, Showers said she enjoys viewing the flowers along the scenic drives at Callaway Gardens (Georgia) during the Spring.

Showers described Mountain Laurel as a native shrub in the same plant family as azaleas and rhododendrons and said it grows naturally from Maine to Mobile Bay.

Gardeners can choose among more than 50 named varieties of selections of Mountain Laurel, ranging from almost pure white to maroon to hot pink and candy stripes.